Hasta La Gadget!

While DAB radio is common in the UK, its broadcasting equipment is usually too expensive for community broadcasters. However, Ofcom’s Rashid Mustapha has shown that the technology is now within reach of amateurs. Taking advantage of DAB’s newly patent-free status, Mustapha tested a low-power digital transmitter based on an open source software radio and a Linux PC; he only had to stream that radio to an aerial through long-range WiFi. His solution would cost just £1,400 ($2,153) per year to run, letting many community radio operators make the leap to digital. The study doesn’t represent an automatic green light for low-power DAB — more work is needed, Mustapha says — but it’s clear that small-scale stations won’t be stuck in the analog world forever.

Filed under: Wireless

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Via: The Register

Source: Ofcom (PDF)

Clicking off the radio to rid your ears of an annoying DJ or an overplayed pop song is easy enough, but it could be more satisfying. How? Well, you could stuff a literal cork in your radio, of course. Normal speakers wouldn’t be phased by mere wine stopper, but by design, the DAB compatible Plugg is. The project is the brainchild of Skrekkøgle, a pair of Norwegian designers, and was built to investigate the “physical and metaphorical interaction with electronic devices.” The DIY project features a pair of volume buttons and the obvious cork for an on / off switch. There aren’t any build instructions and the prototype isn’t available for sale, but inspired builders can get a look at the speaker’s construction (including a trip to the 3D printer) on the team’s Flickr page. Head past the break to see the final product in action.

Continue reading Prototype Plugg radio dabbles in DAB, lets you put a cork in it

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video

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Via: Designboom

Source: Skrekkøgle, Flickr